Long Live the Queen is Hanako Games’s latest video game production in the graphic novel simulation genre. Released in June 2012, it cleared Steam Greenlight in November 2013. Despite the increased attention and popularity, it sadly wasn’t enough for the game to be shortlisted for the 2013 IGF awards.
The game lets you play as the character Elodie, whose mother has died one year before she is eligible for coronation. Elodie’s mission is to train to become a queen while running the kingdom. The game’s roguelike mechanics present scenarios with political intrigue, politics, assassination attempts, and military invasions.
Each week Elodie selects classes and completes an action such as asking her father for advice or visiting the treasury or dungeons. Long Live the Queen is stats focused and the learning curve involves understanding how the information relates to the storyline. It’s not always obvious what options are available or how much further Elodie needs to train to conquer obstacles.
The gorgeous anime graphics are very much an acquired taste. I found the overdone pink princess theme enjoyable after my second or third playthrough.
The depth is not apparent at first, but each attempt at the throne took approximately two days. After several untimely deaths, I eventually finished the game after playing every day for about a week. The replay value is enormous, and there are at least three or more character builds that can win the game.
Long Live the Queen is a highly entertaining beautiful and deadly roguelike princess simulation. Hanako Game’s exciting and cute take on Game of Thrones is worth it.
Source: Purchased on Steam.